Texas Chef Says Citation for Feeding Homeless Violates Her Religious Freedom

A chef in Texas is reportedly planning on employing her religious freedom rights when fighting a recent fine she received for feeding the homeless near her food truck.

Joan Cheever, founder of the Chow Train food truck in San Antonio, Texas, was recently fined $2,000 for distributing prepared meals to homeless in the city's Maverick Park.

While Cheever does has a permit to serve food out of her designated truck, she was reportedly fined for transporting and serving food from a separate vehicle that wasn't her food truck.

As Cheever prepares to fight her ticket that carries a possible $2,000 fine, she says that she may use her religious freedom rights as a defense for her actions.

According to the local San Antonio NBC affiliate, the chef reportedly pointed to the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act when cited by police, arguing that her religious freedom rights were being infringed upon because preparing food for the homeless is a method of prayer and spirituality for her.

"One of the police officers said, 'Ma'am if you want to pray, go to church,'" Cheever recently told the local San Antonio NBC affiliate. "And I said, 'This is how I pray, when I cook this food and deliver it to the people who are less fortunate.'"

San Antonio City Spokeswoman Thea Setterbo told The Huffington Post that Cheever was cited for distributing meals to the public without a proper permit.

"The citation was issued for failing to adhere to long-standing regulations that are in place to ensure public health and safety," Setterbo told the media outlet in a recent statement.

Cheever also took to her food truck's Facebook page to discuss the ticket, writing: "Yes my friends it is true. I just received a ticket -ONE OF THE FIRST IN THE CITY— for being a GOOD SAMaritan."